CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Tasmania Great Eastern Drive: Freycinet to St Helens
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 116 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 43
- Journey
- One way; return travel is separate
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Tasmania Great Eastern Drive
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 39 km this is Tasmania Great Eastern Drive, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 39 km
- Named road
- Tasmania Great Eastern Drive
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Freycinet
Freycinet is the peninsula on Tasmania's east coast where a granite spine called the Hazards rises pink and orange out of the sea, the kind of rock that looks stained by the last sunset, and the colour comes from the feldspar in the stone. The famous curve of Wineglass Bay lies on the far side, a white arc of sand reached by a steep walking track of about an hour from the car park, and a good viewpoint is on the way up; it is a fair climb in motorcycle boots, so plan to change shoes.
Read the complete Freycinet write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Freycinet is where the day begins. Next is Bicheno.
2. Bicheno
Bicheno is a small fishing village on Tasmania's east coast, built around a tiny harbour known as the Gulch, where fishing boats shelter behind a rocky breakwater. The town has a quirky, cheerful feel, with a blowhole that spouts when the sea is rough, rock pools full of life and the island of Diamond Island, which you can walk to at low tide. The sea here is clear and cold, and the marine reserve off the coast teems with fish and sea life, making it a favourite of divers.
Read the complete Bicheno write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Bicheno comes up about 39 km into the recorded legs. Next is St Helens.
3. St Helens
St Helens sits at the head of Georges Bay on the north-east coast of Tasmania, and it is the biggest town on this stretch, though that still means about two thousand people. The bay is a wide, calm inlet where fishing boats come and go, and the town is built around it, with a long waterfront, a few pubs, a bakery or two and the quiet hum of a place that survives on fish, tourists and a bit of timber. The coast here has a reputation for game fishing, and in summer the harbour fills with boats chasing tuna and marlin further out.
Read the complete St Helens write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 116 km.
Leg by leg
Freycinet to Bicheno
Freycinet → Bicheno is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Bicheno to St Helens
Bicheno → St Helens is 77 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.